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FIRST    BOOK. 


SUPPLEMENTARY    READING 


FOR 


PRIMARY    SCHOOLS. 


i 


BY 


FRANCIS    W.   PARLER, 

SUPERVISOR   OF   SCHOOLS,    BOSTON  : 


LOUIS   H.  MARVEL, 

SUPERINTENDENT   OF   SCHOOLS,    GLOUCESTER,    MASS. 


LEACH,    SHEWELL,    AND    SANBORN, 
BOSTON    AND    NEW    YORK. 


Copyright,   1SS0,  1881, 
Francis  W.  Parker. 
.Louis  H.  Marvel. 


Presswork  by  Berwick  &  Smith,  IIS  Purchase  Street,  Boston. 


PREFACE. 


The  imperative  necessity  of  more  reading  for  schools 
than  one  series  of  reading-books  affords  is  acknowledged 
by  all  school  authorities,  teachers,  and  parents  who  have 
given  the  subject  a  thought.  Of  the  many  plans,  com- 
paratively new,  to  improve  education,  that  of  supple- 
mentary reading  has  met  with  little  or  no  opposition. 

The  immense  waste  of  time,  toil,  and  money  in  keeping 
the  long-suffering  little  ones  for  months,  and  even  years, 
upon  books  which  they  learn  by  heart  in  a  few  weeks,  is 
too  apparent  to  need  further  argument. 

These  lessons  are  not  published  to  take  the  place  of  a  series  of 
regular  reading  text-books.  They  lack  the  presentation  of 
methods  and  scientific  arrangement,  which  many  excellent 
reading-books  now  published  contain.  They  are  recom- 
mended for  use,  either  while  reading  the  regular  text-book, 
or  after  it  has  been  read. 

The  lessons  have  been  prepared  in  response  to  repeated 
demands  of  teachers  under  our  supervision,  for  more  read- 
ing for  the  children  in  primary  grades.  Primary  teachers 
seem  to  be  of  one  accord  in  the  statement  that  the  great 
want  is,  plenty  of  very  easy  reading  for  pupils  during  the  first 
years  ivorJc.     One,  two,  three,  and  even  four  ordinary  first 


iv  PREFACE. 


readers  do  not  furnish  the  necessary  conditions  for  the 
learning  of  words  thoroughly.  These  conditions  are  simply: 
sufficient  repetitions  of  words  in  many  different  relations 
(sentences)  to  fix  them  firmly  in  the  mind;  and  that  the 
subject-matter  shall  be  as  interesting  to  children  as  the 
repeated  combinations  of  a  very  few  words  will  permit. 
Learning  thoroughly,  in  this  way,  three  or  four  hundred 
words  is  a  sure  foundation  for  excellent  reading. 

As  has  been  already  intimated,  the  constant  repetition 
of  a  very  few  words  requires  extreme  simplicity  in  the 
thought  expressed.  Critics  of  the  First  Book  of  Sup- 
plementary Reading  will  say:  "  How  simple!"  "Row 
silly !  "  "  How  stupid  !  "  and  so  on  to  the  end  of  the  well- 
known  chapter.  When  some  genius  in  story-telling  suc- 
ceeds in  making  interesting  stories  with  the  few  words  that 
can  be  well  learned  during  the  first  year,  our  humble 
efforts  in  this  direction  shall  immediately  cease.  But  we 
are  painfully  aware  that,  owing  partially  if  not  wholly  to  the 
following  reasons,  not  more  than  two-thirds  of  the  children, 
in  most  classes  which  have  fallen  under  our  notice,  learn 
to  read  well :  — 

1.  Learning  to  read  is  learning  a  vocabulary. 

A  word  is  learned  when  it  instantly  recalls  the  idea  of 
which  it  is  a  sign,  in  whatever  relation  it  may  be. 

2.  A  word  is  learned  jy  repeated  acts  of  association 
of  the  word  with  the  idea  it  represents,  and  with  other 
words  recalling  other  ideas. 


PREFACE. 


It  can  be  taken  for  granted  then,  that  a  certain  number 
of  repetitions,  varying  according  to  the  intensity  of  the 
associative  act,  is  necessary  to  the  learning  of  a  word.  If 
these  conditions  are  not  fulfilled,  words  will  be  half 
learned,  —  they  will  be  vague  and  dim  mental  objects 
which  must  be  constantly  struggled  with,  in  order  to  be 
used.  Hence  the  great  amount  of  stumbling,  blundering, 
mechanical  word-pronouncing,  falsely  called  reading,  in 
our  schools. 

As  we  have  said,  one  or  more  first  or  second  readers  do 
not  present  opportunities  enough  for  repetitions  essential 
to  learning  a  vocabulary.  Before  a  few  words  which  form 
the  nucleus  of  a  vocabulary  are  learned,  new  words  are 
constantly  added,  and  the  struggle  to  learn  on  the  part  of 
most  children  is  a  painful  operation.  Learning  a  few  words 
thoroughly  should  be  the  aim  of  the  teacher. 

"But  some  children  do  learn  to  read  well,"  urges  the 
critic.  We  admit  the  fact  thankfully.  They  learn  to  read 
well  simply  because  the  conditions  above  indicated  are 
complied  with.  The  children  who  learn  to  read  well  have 'plenty 
of  good  reading  at  home.  Give  all  school-children  the  same 
advantages,  and  all  of  them  will  learn  to  read  well.  Our 
common  schools  are  for  the  masses,  not  the  few.  Supply 
schools  ivith  plenty  of  supplementary  reading  and  the  value  of 
school-work  tvill  be  enhanced  a  thousand-fold 

These  lessons  are  presentee^  to  teachers  as  an  attempt 
to  help  them  to  the  necessary  conditions  for  learning  to 
read.     They  are  advised  not  to  confine  by  any  means  the 


vi  PREFACE. 


reading  of  their  pupils  to  this  and  the  regular   reading- 
book.     "  Get  all  the  good  reading  you  possibly  can." 

To  the  teachers  under  our  supervision,  we  are  greatly 
indebted  for  their  active  aid  in  composing  and  criticising 
lessons.  Mrs.  L.  L.  Follett,  teacher  of  the  lowest  grade 
in  the  Coddington  School,  has  written  many  of  the  lessons 
in  the  first  book. 

THE   AUTHORS. 

Boston,  Mass.,  Sept.  1,  1880. 


SUGGESTIONS. 


1.  A  sharp  discrimination  should  be  made  between  reading  as 
a  purely  mental  act,  and  reading  aloud. 

a.  Reading  is  getting  thought  by  means  of  words  arranged  in 
sentences. 

b.  Reading  aloud  is  the  vocal  expression  of  the  thought  thus 
gained. 

The  first  is  the  valuable  mental  act,  and  to  it  (getting  thought) 
the  entire  concentrated  attention  of  both  teacher  and  class  should 
be  given,  during  the  lesson.  Nothing  of  detail  or  analysis  —  as 
spelling,  punctuation,  pronouncing  slowly,  inflection,  or  empha- 
sis —  should  stand  in  the  way  of  the  clear  comprehension  of 
the   thought. 

Reading  aloud  is  the  teacher's  best  means  of  knowing  whether 
the  thought  is  properly  in  the  mind  of  the  reader.  In  order  to 
have  reading  aloud  perform  this  very  important  function,  the 
following  rules  must  be  observed :  — 

I.  Pupils  should  not  be  required  to  express  a  thought  (read  a 
sentence  aloud)  until  the  thought  is  in  their  minds;  that  is,  until 
the  sentence  is  mentally  read. 

II.  If  the  thought  is  in  the  mind,  it  will  control  expression, 
thus  making  attention  to  punctuation,  mechanical  emphasis,  and 
inflection,  not  only  unnecessary,  but  a  great  hindrance  to  the 
proper  expression  of  thought.  Capitals  and  punctuation  aid 
the  eye  in  taking  in  the  thought,  but  have  nothing  whatever  to 
do  with  the  expression  of  it. 


viii  SUGGESTIONS. 


III.  If  the  thought  is  not  properly  expressed,  the  teacher 
should  call  attention  by  a  question  to  that  part  of  the  thought, 
or  that  relation  of  some  idea  to  the  thought  (modification  of 
subject  or  predicate)  not  fully  grasped  by  the  pupil. 

IV.  All  words  not  known  by  pupils  should  be  carefully 
taught  from  blackboard  before  the  lesson  in   reading  is  given. 

V.  Mistakes  in  pronunciation  while  reading  should  be  re- 
served for  special   drill  in  pronunciation. 

VI.  Lessons  in  getting  thought  may  be  given  in  the  following 
way  :  — 

The  black  horse  ran  swiftly  up  the  high  hill. 

What  ran? 

How  did  the  horse  run? 

Where  did  he  run  ? 

What  did  the  horse  do? 

What  kind  of  a  horse  ? 

What  kind  of  a  hill? 

2.  Teachers  should  omit  lessons  which  they  find  to  be  too 
difficult  for  their  pupils,  returning  to  them  when  the  needed 
strength  is  acquired. 

3.  Members  of  a  class  should  not  know  which  one  of  them  is 
to  read  next. 

4.  It  is  of  great  importance  that  pupils  be  successful  in  every 
attempt  to  read  a  sentence.  The  confidence  thus  gained  will  give 
them  ease  and  courage. 

5.  During  the  first  year,  pupils  should  have  books  only  while 
they  are  actively  using  them  in  reading.  Very  little  of  the 
so-called  study,  outside  of  recitations,  should  be  allowed. 


FIRST    BOOK. 


SUPPLEMENTARY    READING 


FOR 


PRIMARY    SCHOOLS. 


READING    LESSONS. 


Here  is  a  cat. 

Do  you  see  this  cat  ? 

It  is  a  fat  cat. 

See  the  fat  cat ! 

Do  you  see  the  fat  cat  ? 

Can  the  cat  see  ? 

Can  the  cat  see  me  ? 


READING    LESSONS. 


The  cat  can  see  me. 

We  can  see  the  fat  rat. 

The  rat  can  see  the  cat. 

This  cat  can  see  the  rat. 

"W  here  is  the  cat  ? 

She  is  on  the  chair. 

I  can  see  the  cat  on  the  chair. 

See  me  pat  my  cat. 

Can  yon  pat  this  cat  ? 

This  is  my  cat. 

Do  see  my  cat ! 

She  is  in  a  chair. 

Can  yon  see  her? 

She  is  not  on  the  mat. 

She  is  sitting  np. 

My  cat  is  in  the  chair. 

She  is  a  pretty  cat. 

Pat  the  pretty  cat. 

My  cat  can  catch  a  rat. 

She  can  catch  a  big  rat. 


READING    LESSONS. 


'  ^*»V«i^ 


Here  is  Mr.  Rat. 
Mr.  Rat,  I  can  see  you. 
You  can  see  me  too. 
You  are  a  fat  rat. 
Where  are  you,  Mr.  Rat  ? 
Can  the  cat  see  you  ? 
The  cat  "will  see  you. 
We  can  see  you. 
Can  you  see  the  cat  ? 
Can  we  see  the  cat  ? 
No,  we  can  see  the  rat. 


BEADING    LESSONS. 


Where  is  the  cat  ? 
We  can  see  the  fat  rat. 
I  can  see  the  fat  rat. 
Do  yon  see  the  fat  rat  ? 
We  do  see  the  fat  rat. 
Does  the  rat  see  yon  ? 
Yes,  the  rat  sees  me. 

The  boy  ran.  He 
ran  after  the  cat. 
He  saw  a  rat.  It 
was  on  the  mat. 
The  boy  got  the 
cat.  The  cat  saw 
the  rat.  .The  rat 
saw  the  cat.  The 
rat  ran.  The  cat 
ran.  The  looy  ran,  too.  Did  the 
cat  get  the  rat?  The  cat  did  not 
get  the  rat.     Did  the  boy  get  the 


READING    LESSONS. 


rat?  It  ran  from  the  cat.  It 
ran  from  the  boy.  The  rat  ran 
from  the  cat.  The  cat  ran  from 
the  boy.  The  boy  did  not  get  the 
cat.  The  cat  did  not  get 
the  rat. 


"-—"^Sm 


Yes, 
It  is 
Can 


Here  is  a  man.' 

He  has  a  hat  on. 

The  man  has  a  bat. 

He  is  not  a  fat  man. 

Can  you  see  the  man's 
bat  ? 
Have  yon  a  bat  ? 
I  have  a  bat. 
a  fiat  bat. 
yon  bat  ?   What  can  yon  bat  ? 


READING    LESSONS. 


This  is  a  fan. 

Can  you  see   this  ' 

fan? 
I  can  see  the  fan. 
Is  it  a  pretty  fan  ? 
It  is  a  pretty  fan. 
Can  you  fan? 

Yes,  I  can  fan. 

Have  you  a  pretty  fan  ? 

Yes,  I  have  a  pretty  fan. 


3««C 


What  do  I  see  ? 
A  little  pan  on  the  mat. 
Who  put  the  pan  on  the  mat  ? 
Tom  put  the  pan  on  the  mat. 
Tom  has  a  little  kitten. 


READING    LESSONS. 


The  kitten  "will  lap  the  pan. 

The  kitten  "will  lap  Tom's  hand. 

Tom  pats  his  little  kitten. 

What  is  in  the  pan  ? 

There  is  milk  in  the  pan. 

The  kitten  laps  the  milk. 

She  is  a  white  kitten. 

Will  Tom  let  us  have  the  kitten  ? 

He  will  let  yon  pat  the  kitten. 


Here  is  a  boy. 
He  is  a  little  boy. 


READING   LESSONS. 


Is  he  a  pretty  boy  ? 

Is  lie  a  happy  boy? 

Why  is  he  not  happy  ? 

Is  this  Tom  ? 

Tom  has  a  little  kitten. 

The  kitten  is  white. 

This  is  not  Tom. 

Tom  is  not  a  bad  boy. 

This  is  a  bad  boy. 

His  name  is  Frank. 

"Why  is  Frank  a  bad  boy  ? 

What  is  in  the  chair? 

Is  it  a  pan  ? 

Has  Frank  a  cat? 

Is  that  milk  for  the  cat  ? 

Is  it  milk  for  Frank  ? 

Do  yon  see  Frank's  hands  ? 

Frank,  be  a  good  boy. 

Am  I  a  good  boy  ? 

Are  we  good  boys? 


10 


READING    LESSONS. 


Little  rabbit,  I  can  see  you. 

You  are  a  fat  rabbit. 

You  are  a  pretty  rabbit. 

Can  you  see  me,  little  rabbit? 

Have  you  a  little  rabbit? 

Is  it  a  fat  rabbit? 

Is  it  a  pretty  rabbit? 


READING    LESSONS.  11 

I  can  see  your  rabbits. 

The  man  lias  the  little  rabbit. 

O,  yon  pretty  rabbit ! 

O,  yon  fat  rabbit ! 

Bnn  is  my  rabbit. 

Bnn  is  a  little  rabbit. 

See  the  big  rabbit. 

She  has  long  ears. 

See  two  little  rabbits. 

They  are  pretty  pets. 

They  are  my  rabbits. 

I  will  not  catch  them  in  a  trap. 

I  will  pnt  them  in  a  pen. 

I  will  pat  them  with  my  hand. 

Come,  little  rabbits. 

Come  to  me. 

I  -will  not  hurt  you. 

The  cat  shall  not  see  you. 

You  may  run  and  play. 

I  have  two  pretty  pets. 


12 


READING    LESSONS. 


Fido  is  my  dog.  He  had  a  nap. 
He  had  a  nap  with  the  cat.  The 
cat  had  a  nap  too.  Are  they  hav- 
ing a  nap  now  ?  No,  they  are  not 
having  a  nap.  Fido  loves  Tab. 
Tab  loves  Fido.    Tab  is  white,  and 


READING    LESSONS. 


13 


Fido  is  "white  too.  Tab  likes  to 
have  a  nap  on  the  mat.  Fido  likes 
to  have  a  nap  "with  Tab.  See  Fido 
and  Tab.  Are  they  not  pretty? 
How  white  Tab  is ! 


o>SKc 


Do  yon  see  that  little  girl  ? 
Yes,  the  little  girl  has  a  basket. 
Abbie  has  a  rabbit  in  the  basket. 
Can  I  see  the  rabbit  ? 
No,  yon  cannot  see  the  rabbit. 
Is  it  Abbie's  basket  ? 

The  basket  is  in  her  hand. 

"What  will  she  do  with  the  basket  ? 


14 


READING    LESSONS. 


She  "will  set  the  basket  on  the  mat. 
I  can  see  Abbie  and  the  basket. 
I  cannot  see  the  mat. 
I  cannot  see  the  rabbit. 
Abbie  can  see  the  rabbit. 


Good-morning,  Ann. 
Here  is  an  apple  for  yon. 


READING   LESSONS.  15 


Thank  you,  Ann. 

Please  come  in. 

Sit  in  this  chair. 

I  will  take  your  basket. 

See  my  white  cat. 

This  is  my  dog,  Fido. 

Do  you  like  dogs? 

No,  I  do  not  like  dogs. 

I  like  cats  and  rabbits. 

"What  a  good  apple  this  is ! 

"Where  did  you  get  the  apples? 

Abbie  gave  them  to  me. 

How  many  did  she  give  you? 

She  gave  me  four  apples. 

I  ate  one  apple. 

"Where  are  Rose  and  Mary? 

They  are  at  play. 

Would  you  like  to  see  them? 

Yes,  if  you  please. 

Come  in,  Rose.    Come  in,  Mary. 


16  READING    LESSONS. 


c^^^^^^^^kH^^^^^ 


READING    LESSONS. 


17 


See  Max  play  in  the  sand.  See 
him  dig  the  sand.  The  sand  is 
damp.  Max  likes  to  dig  the  sand. 
He  stands  on  the  sand.  He  puts 
sand  in  his  "wagon.  He  draws 
the  sand  in  his  wagon.  There  is 
Mary  on  the  sand.  Can  yon  see 
Max's  wagon ?  No,  we  cannot  see 
it.  Mary  has  a  little  plant.  She 
will  put  it  in  the  sand.  You  can 
see  the  plant  in  the  sand.  Max 
"will  pat  the  sand. 


18 


READING    LESSONS. 


Do  you  see  Daisy  ? 

She  has  her  hat  on. 

And  do  yon  see  Rose  ? 

Has  Rose  a  hat  on  ? 

No,  Rose  has  no  hat  on. 

They  are  playing. 

They  have  sand  to  play  with. 

They  are  playing  in  the  sand. 

Daisy  sits  on  the  sand. 

Rose  stands  on  the  sand. 

Have  they  sand  in  their  hands  ? 


READING    LESSONS.  19 

They  have  no  sand  in  their  hands. 
Daisy  digs  in  the  sand. 

Daisy  plays  "with  Rose. 
Daisy  has  a  doll 
Rose  has  a  cat. 
The  cat  plays  with  the  doll. 
Rose  likes  Daisy. 
They  play  with  the  sand. 
They  play  on  the  grass. 
They  put  sand  in  a  basket. 
Rose  put  sand  in  a  tub. 
It  is  a  little  tub. 
See  the  pretty  little  girls. 
Would  you   like  to  play  "with 
them? 
What  do  you  play  ? 
Have  you  playthings  ? 
Have  you  a  rag  doll  ? 
No,  I  have  a  very  pretty  doll. 


20 


READING    LESSONS. 


Can 

you  see 

me? 


I  am  in  the  grass. 

I  ran  into  this  grass. 

My  dog  ran  after  me. 

You  cannot  see  my  dog. 

He  is  in  the  grass. 

My  dog  will  catch  me  in  the  grass. 

Is  not  this  pretty  grass  ? ' 

Did  you  ever  see  such  grass  ? 

See  the  grass  in  my  hand. 


READING    LESSONS.  21 


I  stand  on  the  grass. 

I  sat  on  the  grass. 

I  had  a  nap  on  the  grass. 

Tell  me  about  your  playthings. 

Rose  has  a  dog. 

Ann  has  a  doll. 

Robert  has  a  wagon. 

Tom  has  a  kitten. 

Bun  is  the  name  of  my  rabbit. 

The  name  of  Rose's  dog  is  Fido. 

Abbie  has  a  little  basket. 

Daisy  has  a  tub. 

Let  us  play  together. 

Put  the  doll  in  the  wagon. 

The  dog  will  draw  the  wagon. 

Put  the  kitten  "with  the  doll. 

The  rabbit  is  in  the  basket. 

Put  sand  in  the  tub. 

Oh,  what  fun  we  shall  have  ! 


22 


READING-    LESSONS. 


Fannie  and  Dan  sit  by  a  tree. 

Fannie  has  a  pretty  little  rabbit. 

Dan  has  a  basket. 

Fannie' s  hat  is  on  the  grass. 

The  rabbit  is  "white. 

It  has  long  ears. 

Dan  pats  the  rabbit. 

Dan  has  a  white  hat. 

A  band  is  on  his  hat. 

Fannie  will  put  some  grass  in 
the  basket. 

Then  she  will  put  the  rabbit  in 
the  basket. 


READING    LESSONS.  23 

Dan  will  carry  the  basket. 
Would  you  like  to  have  a  little 
rabbit  ? 
It  is  a  pretty  pet. 
I  would  like  to  have  two  rabbits. 
I  can  catch  a  rabbit. 
Rabbits  are  very  pretty. 

Can  you  catch  a  rat? 

A  cat  can  catch  a  rat. 

I  can  catch  a  rat  in  a  trap. 

The  trap  is  on  the  mat. 

The  mat  is  by  a  crack. 

The  crack  is  in  the  floor. 

I  saw  the  rat's  track. 

It  was  a  black  rat. 

The  rat  ran  on  the  floor. 

The  rat  ran  into  the  trap. 

It  was  a  fat  rat. 

I  shall  catch  more  than  one  rat. 


24  READING    LESSONS. 


Frank  has  a  "wagon.  It  is  a  big 
wagon.  Can  Frank  draw  the  wag- 
on ?  Frank  can  draw  the  wagon. 
Frank  has  a  dog,too.  Can  the  dog 
draw  the  wagon?  No,  the  dog 
cannot  draw  the  wagon.  There  is 
sand  in  the  wagon.  Can  Frank 
draw  the  sand?  Yes,  Frank  can 
draw  the  sand.  I  can  see  a  rag  on 
the  wagon.  It  is  a  little  rag.  The 
rag  is  Frank's  flag.  Can  the  dog 
draw  a  little  wagon?  Yes,  he 
can  draw  a  little  wagon.  Can  he 
draw  Frank  ?   No,  he  cannot  draw 


READING    LESSONS.  25 

Frank.  Sam  is  a  black  dog.  The 
dog's  name  is  Sam.  Frank's  little 
brother  can  ride  on  the  dog's  back. 

What  is  your  name,  little  girl? 

My  name  is  Fannie. 

Where  do  yon  live  ? 

I  live  in  that  house  on  the  hill. 

It  is  a  white  house. 

Do  you  have  many  playthings  ? 

Yes,  I  have  two  dolls. 

I  have  a  little  tub  and  a  basket. 

The  basket  is  my  wagon. 

I  put  my  dolls  in  the  basket. 

I  take  my  dolls  to  ride. 

Where  do  your  dolls  ride  ? 

They  ride  up  the  hill. 

Who  draws  the  wagon  ? 

I  draw  the  wagon. 

My  dolls  are  very  pretty. 


26 


READING    LESSONS. 


Mary  has  a  big  bag.  She  has  a 
big  fan  in  her  bag.  She  has  candy 
in  the  bag,  too.  She  will  carry 
the  candy  to  Emma.  Emma  will 
thank  Mary.    She  will  thank  her 


READING   LESSONS.   .  27 

for  the  candy.  See  Jip  by  the 
basket.  Where  is  the  doll?  It  is 
Emma's  doll.  Emma  is  a  pretty 
little  girl.  See  her  fat  hands. 
Mary  is  a  large  girl.  See  Jip  look 
at  Mary.  Jip  is  a  good  dog.  Can 
you  see  the  girls,  Jip?  What  a 
large  basket !  What  is  in  the  bas- 
ket ?  We  can  see  a  large  bag  and 
a  large  basket. 


What  do  yon  see  in  this  picture  ? 
I  see  a  doll  and  a  dog. 
There  are  two  little  girls. 
One  girl  has  a  hat  on. 
A  basket  is  by  the  chair. 


28  READING    LESSONS. 


;^^>/^^7-2^/ •/> 


'/T^^yT^^^jy 


tttZsWy/ZftrzA/, 


READING    LESSONS. 


^9 


"Whose  dog  is  this  ? 

This  is  Sam's  dog. 

It  is  Sam's  black  dog. 

Is  he  not  a  little  dog  ? 

The  black  dog  ran. 

The  black  dog  ran  to  Sam. 

What  has  he  for  Sam? 

Will  he  carry  it  to  Sam? 

Yes,  he  will  carry  it  to  Sam. 

Sam  will  pat  his  black  dog. 


30  READING    LESSONS. 

How  do  you  do,  little  girl  ? 

Pretty  "well,  I  thank  you,  sir. 

What  have  you  in  your  basket  ? 

I  have  my  little  doll. 

Would  you  like  to  see  it  ? 

It  is  made  of  wax. 

See  her  pretty  hat. 

Do  you  give  candy  to  your  doll  ? 

Oh,  no,  sir!  dolls  cannot  eat. 

Where  are  you  going? 

I  am  going  to  see  Emma. 

Emma  is  a  good  girl. 

She  lives  in  a  white  house. 

Emma  has  a  cat  and  a  dog. 

She  has  a  little  play-house. 

Do  you  play  together? 

Yes,  sir,  we  play  together. 

I  put  the  doll's  hat  on  the  dog. 

He  looks  funny  with  the  hat  on. 

Do  you  go  to  school,  little  girl? 


READING    LESSONS.  31 

No,  sir,  I  am  not  old  enough. 
I  would  like  to  go  to  school. 
Good-by,  sir.    Good-by,  little  girl. 

An  old  hen  had  ten  chickens. 

They  lived  in  a  pen. 

Three  chicks  were  white. 

Three  chicks  were  black. 

Three  chicks  were  brown. 

The  rest  were  yellow. 

How  many  chickens  were  yel- 
low? 

The  chicks  played  in  the  pen. 

They  crept  through  a  crack  in 
the  pen. 

The  chicks  ran  away  from  the 
hen. 

They  played  in  the  sand. 

One  scratched  in  the  sand. 

A  chick  can  catch  a  bug. 


32  READING    LESSONS. 


"Why,  "what  is  the  matter  with 
this  lamb  ? 

The  lamb  will  not  stand  still. 

The  lamb  ran  "with  Walter. 

Walter  has  a  strap  in  his  hand. 

The  strap  is  on  the  lamb. 

The  lamb  is  happy. 

The  lamb  is  glad  to  run  on  the 
grass. 

I  "wish  that  I  had  a  lamb. 

I  would  take  good  care  of  it. 

I  would  give  it  grass  to  eat. 

The  lamb  "would  play  with  me. 

Pretty  little  lamb !    Come  to  me. 


READING   LESSONS. 


33 


See  this  little  boy.  The  little 
boy  is  having  a  nap.  Where  is 
the  boy?  The  boy  is  in  a  box. 
His  name  is  Frank.  He  has 
had  a  good  play.  He  ran  after 
the  lambs.  He  ran  on  the  grass. 
Frank  is  a  little  lad.  He  likes 
to  play.  He  has  a  stick  in  his 
hand.  See  Carlo  with,  his  hat  on. 
"What  a  funny  dog !  Who  put 
the  hat  on  Carlo?  Carlo  has  a 
sack  on,  too.  Does  the  boy  see 
Carlo?     N~o,  the  boy  is  asleep. 


34 


READING    LESSONS. 


See  these  girls  on  the  grass. 
What  has  Fannie  in  her  lap? 
She  has  leaves  in  her  lap.  Ann 
has  leaves  in  her  lap,  too.  Can 
you  see  the  rabbits?  I  can  see 
four  rabbits.  One  rabbit  is  black. 
See  the  cat.  "Will  she  catch  the 
rabbit?  ISTo,  Tab  will  not  catch 
the  rabbit. 


READING    LESSONS.  35 


There  "was  a  little  boy  named 
Willie.  He  had  an  axe.  It  was  a 
little  axe.  The  axe  had  a  pretty 
handle.  Willie  liked  to  play  -with 
his  axe.  He  had  a  wagon,  too.  He 
had  a  black  dog.  The  dog  would 
draw  the  wagon.  Willie  put  a 
flag  on  the  wagon.  He  "would 
draw  sand  in  the  "wagon.  Willie 
wore  a  black  cap.  He  carried  a 
basket  in  his  hand.  He  had  a 
rabbit  in  the  basket.  The  rabbit 
"was  for  Bennie.  Bennie  set  the 
basket  on  the  grass.  The  rabbit 
ran  on  the  grass.  The  rabbit  ate 
an  apple  from  Bennie' s  hand. 


36  READING    LESSONS. 


Jennie  has  an  apple  in  her  hand. 

Where  did  she  get  the  apple? 

She  got  it  on  the  stand. 

I  can  see  the  apples  on  the  stand. 

They  are  large  apples. 

They  are  pretty  apples. 

I  cannot  see  a  small  apple. 

May  Jennie  have  an  apple? 

Yes,  Jennie  may  have  one  apple. 

Is  that  a  lamp  on  the  stand? 

No,  that  is  not  a  lamp. 

That  is  a  candle. 

You  can  see  the  candle. 

Jennie  can  see  the  candle. 


READING    LESSONS.  37 


^Z^/ 


;^£t£^^V^^ 


38  READING    LESSONS. 


A  chubby  little  sister 
Was  rubbing  at  her  tub; 
A  chubby  little  brother 
Came  up  to  help  her  rub. 

The  chubby  little  brother 
Fell  down  in  with  a  cry; 
The  chubby  little  sister 
Then  hung  him  up  to  dry. 


Jack  and  Jill 
Went  up  the  hill 
To  draw  a  pail  of  water; 
Jack  fell  down 
And  broke  his  crown, 
And  Jill  came  tumbling 
after. 


READING   LESSONS. 


39 


^AT^m-^^y^yi^^ 


<>^cn^>^i^. 


^^^^^^T^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 


{t^z^. 


40 


READING    LESSONS. 


Do  you  see  the  nest? 

There  are  eggs  in  the  nest. 

The  nest  is  on  the  tree. 

Can  the  cat  see  the  nest? 

No,  the  cat  cannot  see  the  nest 

The  birds  can  see  the  nest. 

The  nest  is  pretty. 

It  is  little,  and  pretty,  too. 

May  I  hold  the  nest  ? 

May  I  hold  it  in  my  hand? 

No,  the  little  birds  would  cry. 


READING    LESSONS.  41 

Did  you  ever  see  a  tent  ? 

A  tent  is  like  a  shed. 

A  shed  is  made  of  wood. 

A  tent  is  made  of  cloth. 

My  mother  made  a  tent  for  me. 

She  made  it  of  white  cloth. 

I  put  the  tent  on  the  grass. 

I  "went  into  my  tent. 

John  came  to  see  me. 
•  "We  played  in  the  tent. 

We  made  a  bed  in  the  tent. 

John  slept  in  the  bed. 

I  led  my  pet  lamb  into  the  tent. 

The  lamb  crept  under  the  tent. 

Then  the  tent  fell  down. 

John  laughed  to  see  the  tent  on 
his  head. 

John's  mother  called  him,  and 
he  "went  home. 


42  READING    LESSONS. 


O  Emma,  come  and  see ! 

Here  is  a  little  nest. 

It  is  on  the  branch  of  a  tree. 

Is  it  not  a  little  nest  ? 

Is  it  not  a  pretty  nest  ? 

And  see  the  little  blue  eggs. 

How  many  blue  eggs  are  there 
in  the  nest? 

There  are  four  bine  eggs  in  the 
nest. 
.   It  is  not  a  hen's  nest. 

It  is  a  bird's  nest. 

"Will  the  cat  get  the  bird? 


READING    LESSONS.  43 

Oh  no,  the  cat  will  not  get  it. 
The  cat  will  not  see  the  nest. 
"Where  is  the  bird? 
She  sings  on  the  tree. 

Can  you  see  me? 

I  can  see  you. 

I  have  a  pretty  dress. 

It  is  a  red  dress. 

My  doll  has  a  red  dress. 

My  doll  has  a  little  bed. 

My  doll  is  in  her  bed. 

Have  you  a  doll? 

9 


Have  you  a  doll  r 
Has  your  doll  a  red  dress: 
Has  your  doll  a  little  bed: 
Is  your  doll  in  her  bed? 
Where  is  the  red  dress? 
May  I  see  the  red  dress? 
May  I  see  your  doll? 


44 


READING    LESSONS. 


What  do  I  see? 
Are  they  eggs  or  chickens  ? 
What  funny  little  things ! 
I  "will  talk  to  them. 


Little  chick,  I  can  see  you. 

One  chick  is  in  a  shell. 

Can  you  see  me? 

I  can  see  your  wings. 

Can  you  fly,  little  chick? 

ISTo,  I  cannot  fly. 

Can  you  run,  little  chick? 

Yes,  I  can  run. 

I  can  run  at  the  fly. 

I  can  catch  the  fly. 


READING   LESSONS.  45 

Come,  boys,  let  us  play. 

Come,  Freddie,  and  Frank,  and 
Tom. 

May  the  girls  come  ? 

Yes,  let  Jennie  and  Anne  come. 

How  many  boys? 

How  many  girls  ? 

What  shall  we  play  ? 

Shall  I  get  my  wagon? 

Yes,  Freddie,  please  get  your 
wagon. 

The  dog  can  draw  it. 

See  the  dog  run  with  the  wagon. 

I  can  run  as  fast  as  the  dog. 

Come,  let  us  all  run. 

What  a  good  run! 

Are  you  tired,  Freddie  ? 

Yes,  I  am  a  little  tired. 

I  am  sorry  that  you  are  tired. 

Let  us  sit  down  on  the  grass. 


46 


READING    LESSONS. 


THE    SICK    BOY. 


"What  is  the  matter  with  Fred- 
die?    I    wonder    why    he    frets. 

Freddie  is  not 
well.  He  is  very 
tired.  He  has 
played  too  hard. 
He  has  been  to 
see  Anne.  They 
had  a  good  play 
together.  They 
had  a  little  wag- 
on. Freddie  let 
his  dog  draw  the 
They  put  their  dolls  in 
the  wagon.  Then  they  ran,  and 
the  dog  ran,  too.  They  ran  very 
fast.     The  dolls  had  a  nice   ride. 


wagon. 


READING    LESSONS.  47 


But  poor  little  Freddie  got  very 
tired.  He  was  glad  to  go  to  his 
mamma.  She  held  him  in  her 
lap.  She  is  telling  him  a  story. 
After  she  tells  the  story,  he  will 
go  to  bed.  He  will  be  glad  to  go 
to  bed.  Sometimes  Freddie  tells 
mamma  a  story. 

Mabel  is  a  little  girl. 
She  is  a  gentle  little  girl. 
She  is  gentle  to  every  one. 
She  likes  to  pat  my  lamb. 
My  lamb  is  a  gentle  lamb. 
My  lamb  likes  Mabel. 
She  fed  my  lamb  with  grass. 
She  led  the  lamb  to  its  pen. 
She  left  the  lamb  in  the  pen. 
She  carried  grass  to  the  pen. 
She  left  some  grass  in  the  pen. 


48 


READING-    LESSONS. 


MARY    AND    HER    CHICKENS. 

I   went   to    see   Mary   one   daj^. 

Mary   is    a    very    pleasant    girl. 

She  is  very  gen- 
tle. She  has  ten 
pets.  Some  of 
her  pets  are  in 
the  shed.  Some 
are  under  the 
shed.  What  do 
you  think  they 
are  ?  She  has 
hens  and  chick- 
ens. She  let  me 
take  a  basket  of 

corn.    See,  she  has  it  in  her  hand. 

I  fed  her  hens  and  chickens.    The 

hens  and  chicks  saw  the  basket. 


READING    LESSONS.  49 


They  all  ran  to  me.  I  held  the 
basket  in  my  left  hand.  I  fed 
the  chicks  from  the  basket.  I 
threw  corn  to  the  hens.  The  hens 
let  the  chicks  get  the  corn.  One 
hen  had  a  nest  near  the  fence. 

Two  doves  are  on  the  fence. 
One  dove  is  on  the  tree. 
Four  doves  are  on  the  barn. 
Their  nests  are  in  the  barn. 
Six  little  chicks  are  picking  up 
corn. 
Two  horses  are  in  the  yard. 
They  are  near  the  fence. 
One  horse  is  black. 
The  other  is  white. 
The  black  horse  sees  Mary. 
Mary  will  not  feed  the  horses. 
Tom  will  feed  the  horses. 


50 


READING    LESSONS. 


^Wfl  I  fl  ft 


This  is  my  dog.  His  name  is 
Carlo.  A  big  dog  bit  him.  The 
dog  bit  him  on  the  leg.  Poor 
Carlo,  I  will  pat  yon.  I  "will 
carry  yon  in  my  arms.  The  big 
dog  is  a  bad  dog.  His  name  is 
Snap.  Snap,  yon  are  a  bad  dog. 
I  will  pnt  Carlo  in  a  nice  bed.     I 


READING    LESSONS.  51 

will  give  him  bread  and  milk. 
Carlo  will  soon  get  well.  Then 
we  "will  run  and  play. 

I  "will  tell  you  a  story. 

John  was  a  good  little  boy. 

He  had  a  pet  lamb. 

He  fed  it  with,  bread. 

John  kept  the  lamb  in  a  shed. 

One  day  the  pet  lamb  ran  away. 

It  ran  out  of  the  shed. 

■A 

It  "went  into  a  pen. 
John  ran  after  the  lamb. 
He  found  it  in  the  pen. 
He  said,    'You  are  a  bad  lamb 
to  run  away." 
"I  will  not  give  you  bread." 
The  lamb  came  back. 
John  loved  his  pet  lamb. 


52 


READING    LESSONS. 


Here  are  seven  little  girls.  They 
are  merry  little  girls.  That  is 
Mabel  next  to  the  doll.  The  one 
next  to  her  is  Susie.  The  dog 
ran  to  Mabel.  Some  boys  tried 
to  vex  the  dog.  The  dog  left  the 
boys.  Then  the  boys  felt  sorry. 
The  girls  will  not  vex  the  dog. 


READING    LESSONS.  53 

The  dog  "will  help  the  girls.  How 
can  he  help  them  ?  He  will  carry 
things  for  them.  Jane  will  let 
him  carry  her  doll.  She  will  put 
the  doll  in  a  basket.  Then  the 
dog  "will  carry  the  basket.  She 
will  send  the  dog  for  her  hat. 
The  dog  will  get  the  hat.  He 
"will  bring  it  to  Jane.  She  "will 
pat  him  on  the  back. 

Let  ns  have  a  picnic. 

Where  shall  we  go? 

Let  us  go  to  the  green  woods. 

Take  baskets  and  bags. 

Fill  them  "with  good  things  to 
eat. 

Shall  we  carry  our  dolls? 

Yes,  carry  the  dolls,  and  let  the 
dog  go  with  us. 


54  HEADING   LESSONS. 


Little  Jack  Horner 

Sat  in  the  corner 

Eating  a  Christmas  pie. 

He  put  in  his  thumb 

And  pulled  out  a  plum, 

Saying,  "  What  a  big  boy  am  I ! 


» 


Hickory,  dickory  dock, 
The  mouse  ran  up  the  clock, 
The  clock  struck  "One," 
The  mouse  ran  down, 
Hickory,  dickory  dock. 

Hush-a-by,  baby,  on  the  tree-top, 
When  the  wind  blows,  the  cradle 

■will  rock; 
When  the  bough  breaks,  the  cradle 

will  fall 
Down    comes    hush-a-by,    cradle, 

and  all. 


READING    LESSONS. 


55 


GETTING    A    DRINK. 

See  the  girl  on  the  tub.   "Will  she 
get  wet  ?   No,  she  will  not  get  wet. 
She    stands  on  a  tub.  %  % 
She    is    near    the 
fence.     The  other  I 
little  girl  will 


get 
has 


wet. 
wet 


She 
her    £ 


hand.    She  has 

wet  her  pretty 

red  dress.      Do 

yon  see  the  net 

on  her  head?     What  is  the  net 

for  ?    Why  does  the  girl  stand  on 

the  tub  ?    Can  yon  see  a  tub  near 

the  fence?    What  else  do  yon  see 

near   the    fence  ? 


56 


READING-    LESSONS. 


See  this  hen. 

She  has  nine  little  chicks. 

What  do  the  chicks  say? 

The  chicks  say  '  Peep,  peep, 
peep." 

What  does  the  hen  say? 

The  hen  says  '  Cluck,  cluck, 
cluck." 

Where  is  the  hen? 

The  hen  is  in  the  pen. 

Where  are  the  chicks? 

The  chicks  are  in  the  pen. 


READING    LESSONS.  57 

I  fed  the  hen  and  the  chicks. 
See  the  chicks  play  in  the  sand. 
The  hen  scratches  for  the  chicks. 
The  chicks  scratch  in  the  sand, 
too. 

Little  chick,  little  chick,  come 
to  me! 

When  did  you  come  out  of 
your  shell? 

How  did  you  get  out? 

Where  have  you  left  your  white 
house  ? 

How  do  you  like  the  big  world? 

Can't  talk?     I  thought  so. 

You  are  not  old  enough. 

Get  under  your  mother's  wings. 

The  dog  will  catch  you. 

The  cat  will  scratch  you. 

The  pigs  will  eat  you. 


58 


READING    LESSON'S. 


THE    HAPPY    HEN. 

What  do  I  see  ?     A  large  lien. 
She  is  on  the  box.     She  can  see 

her  eggs.  She  is 
proud  of  them. 
She  says,  "Cluck, 
cluck,  cluck ! 
Three  eggs  in 
my  nest.  Three 
white  eggs.  O,  how  pretty  they 
are.  Three  long  days !  Three 
pretty  eggs.  I  must  go  and  get 
some  corn.  Then  I  must  come 
back.  I  must  lay  three  more 
eggs."  Then  the  hen  went  to  the 
pen.  She  saw  some  corn  in  a 
pan.  She  ate  the  corn.  She  saw 
some    water.     She   said,   "I    must 


READING-    LESSONS.  59 

drink  some  water.  Then  I  will 
scratch  in  the  sand.  I  shall  find 
bugs  and  worms  in  the  sand. 
Then  I  will  go  back  to  my  nest. 
It  is  not  in  the  pen.  It  is  in  a 
box,  under  a  tree.  I  must  go 
back  now." 

Six  eggs  in  my  nest !  Six  white 
eggs!  Six  pretty  eggs!  Six  long 
eggs !  Six  large 
white  eggs!  Six 
happy  days,  too. 
See  me  stand  on 

my  nest.  I  do  l^^^^^^^S^ff 
not  stand  on 
my  eggs.  Well,  I  must  run  and 
scratch  now.  I  will  scratch  in 
the  sand.  Here  comes  Fred.  He 
has  his  dog.     Will  Fred  get  my 


60  READING    LESSONS. 

eggs?  No,  Fred  "will  not  get  my 
eggs.  Carlo  is  a  good  dog.  Carlo 
is  a  big  black  dog.  He  will  not 
catch  me.  He  will  sit  by  my 
eggs.  Now  I  will  scratch  in  the 
sand.  I  will  go  to  the  pen  and 
get  some  corn.  I  will  get  some 
"water,  too.  Now  I  must  go  back. 
O,  my  six  pretty  eggs!  Can  you 
see  them?    Can  you  see  Carlo? 

Now  I  have  twelve  eggs. 
Twelve  large  eggs !  Twelve  large 
white    eggs!      Can    you    see    my 


READING    LESSONS.  61 

twelve  eggs?  Twelve  happy 
days!  Twelve  pretty  white  eggs! 
They  are  all  in  my  nest.  I  must 
sit  on  the  eggs.  I  must  not  go 
to  scratch  in  the  sand.  Fred  will 
bring  me  corn.  He  will  bring 
me  water,  too.  What  do  I  hear? 
Peep,  peep.  Where  can  it  be? 
In  the  eggs?  'Yes,  in  the  white 
eggs.  Little  chicks  in  the  shells. 
Only  think,  twelve  white  eggs! 
Twelve  little  chicks!  Chicks  in 
the  shells!  My  little  chicks!  O, 
I  am  a  happy  hen.  I  shall  love 
my  little  chicks.  You  will  love 
my  little  chicks,  too.  Carlo  and 
Fred  will  love  them. 

Now  I  am  a  mother  hen.     See 
my  little  chicks.     I  have  twelve 


62  READING    LESSONS. 

little  chicks.     Twelve  baby  liens! 

See    them    scratch!      One    little 

chick  is  in  the 
box.   Can  it  get 

out  ?      Yes,    it 

^M^%W     Come!    Chick! 

chick!  Come 
and  see  Ann.  She  has  a  pan. 
The  pan  is  fnll  of  corn.  See  my 
chicks  run.  They  run  to  see  Ann. 
One  little  chick  is  black.  My 
chicks  will  get  on  my  back. 
They  "will  sit  on  my  back.  They 
say,  "Peep,  peep,  peep!"  Fred 
loves  the  little  chicks.  Carlo  will 
not  run  at  them. 

Here  are  my  little  chicks.    They 
all  ran  to  see  Ann.     Ann  loves 


READING   LESSONS. 


63 


my  little  chicks.  Ann  loves  me, 
too.  She  will  pet  my  little  black 
chick.    She  will 


^^ffi'fa-fiA/S^W 


take  it  in  her 
hand.  She  will 
pat  its  little 
back.  Ann  fed 
my  little  chicks. 
She    has    some 

corn  in  her  hand.  She  fed  them 
from  her  hand.  She  said,  "  Chick, 
chick,  chick !  Here !  chick,  chick, 
chick ! "  Twelve  little  chicks  ran 
to  Ann.  She  fed  the  twelve  little 
chicks.  Do  the  chicks  love  Ann? 
"Yes,  the  chicks  do  love  Ann. 
They  love  Fred,  too.  Fred  fed 
the  chicks.  By  and  by  my  little 
chicks  will  be  as  big  as  I  am. 


64 


READING    LESSONS. 


LITTLE     ROBBIE. 


Robbie  cannot  get  up  the  steps. 
He  is  such  a  little  fellow.     Millie 

has  to  help  him. 
Robbie  does  not 
live  here.  He 
has  come  to  see 
Millie.  Millie 
will  play  "with 
him.  She  will 
let  him  see  her 
rabbits.  They 
are  in  a  pen 
back  of  the  shed. 
One  day  Robbie 
went  to  see  the  rabbits.  He  let 
them  get  out  of  the  pen.  Millie 
had  to  catch  them,  and  put  them 


READING    LESSONS.  65 

into  the  pen  again.  Robbie  was 
glad  to  see  the  rabbits  run  in  the 
grass.  He  did  not  know  that  he 
should  not  let  them  out.  How 
old,  do  you  think,  is  Robbie? 
How  old  is  Millie?  What  are 
the  steps  made  of?  How  many 
steps  are  there? 

Sarah,  the  cook,  gave  Ida  three 
apples.  They  were  nice  large  ap- 
ples. They  were  pretty  red  apples. 
Ida  calls  her  little  brother.  John 
comes  to  see  what  his  sister  wants. 
Ida  holds  one  apple  behind  her. 
"Which  hand  will  you  have, 
John?  John  takes  the  left  hand. 
So  he  gets  a  nice  large  apple.  He 
gets  a  pretty  red  apple.  John 
thanks  his  sister  for  the  apple. 


66 


READING   LESSONS. 


See  Emma  and  her  doll.  It  is  a 
nice  doll.  Can  Emma  put  her 
doll  to  bed?  "Yes,  she  can  put 
her  doll  to  bed.  Yoli  cannot  see 
the  bed.  Emma  has  her  doll  in 
her  lap.  The  doll  is  not  "well,  so 
Emma  will  put  her  to  bed.    Em- 


READING   LESSONS.  67 

ma  is  happy  with  her  doll.  Can 
the  doll  stand?  The  doll  cannot 
stand.  Emma  will  pat  the  doll. 
The  doll  has  a  new  dress.  It  is  a 
red  dress.  The  dress  is  pretty. 
Emma  has  a  red  dress,  too.  Em- 
ma sits  on  the  bench.  She  "will 
make  a  bed  on  the  bench.  She 
"will  make  it  for  her  doll. 

Did  yon  see  the  apples  in  the 
tent? 

Yes,  and  I  saw  a  little  "wagon 
in  the  tent. 

I  saw  apples  in  the  wagon. 

Tom  will  sell  the  apples. 

Will  Tom  sell  me  an  apple? 

Yes,  but  yon  have  no  cent. 

O  yes,  I  have  more  than  one 
cent.     I  have  ten  cents. 


68  READING    LESSONS. 

Then  Tom  will  sell  you  an  apple. 

He  will  sell  yon  a  red  apple. 

Will  lie  sell  me  an  apple  in  the 
tent  ? 

Yes,  he  will  sell  apples  in  the 
tent. 

Will  he  sell  me  ten  apples? 

He  "will  sell  you  ten  apples  for 
ten  cents. 

James  is  very  happy. 

Why  is  he  happy? 

He  is  going  to  see  Fred. 

Fred  has  a  big  tent. 

They  will  play  in  the  tent. 

Then  they  will  go  in  the  wagon. 

They  will  go  to  see  Ben. 

Ben  has  pet  rabbits. 

He  "will  let  them  see  the  rabbits. 

He  will  get  grass  for  the  rabbits. 


READING    LESSONS.  69 

James  will  take  apples  to  Ben. 

Ben  will  let  him  feed  the  rab- 
bits. 

He  will  let  him  feed  them  "with 
apples. 

Ben  and  James  are  very  quiet 
boys. 

Where  are  1ST  ell  and  Frank? 

They  are  in  the  tent. 

They  are  very  merry. 

There  was  a  log  in  the  tent. 

Frank  tried  to  stand  on  the  log. 

He  fell  off. 

Then  Nell  tried  to  stand  on  the 
log. 

They  could  not  stand  on  the  log. 

Then  they  tried  to  jump  over 
the  log. 

Then  Nell  tried  to  catch  Frank. 


70 


READING    LESSONS. 


Look  at  Emma.  She  has  Ned's 
dog.  The  sled  is  Emma's.  It  is  a 
little  red  sled.  It  is  very  pretty. 
She  has  her  pet  doll  in  the  sled. 
Emma  has  seven  dolls.  This  is 
her  baby  doll.  Will  the  dog  draw 
the  sled?  See  the  bells  on  the 
strap.  There  are  five  bells  on  the 
strap.  What  is  the  strap  for? 
Emma  "will  pat  the  dog.  See  him 
jump.    He  does  not  like  the  bells. 


READING   LESSONS.  71 

He  does  not  like  to  draw  the  sled. 
The  dog's  name  is  Jap.  He  is 
white  as  snow.  Jap  is  Ned's  pet. 
Get  up,  Jap ! 

O  you  bad,  jj  ^ 
bad  dog!  You 
will  not  draw 
my  dollie.  My 
dollie  will  not' 
like  you.  I  will 
not  let  you 
carry  the  basket.  You  are  a  bad 
dog.  Do  you  see  dollie  in  the 
sled?  Dollie  can  see  you.  I  must 
go  and  get  Ned.  He  will  shut 
you  in  the  shed.  Please  be  a  good 
dog.  Please  draw  my  dollie.  I 
will  get  you  some  bread.  I  will 
get  you  some  milk  in  a  pan.    See 


72 


READING   LESSONS. 


your  pretty  bells.  Why  don't 
you  stand  up?  But  all  the  dog 
said  was  "Bow,  wow,  wow." 


O  dear!   O  dear!     See  my  dear 
little  baby  doll.    Stop,  Jap,  stop ! 

--  ^~^3%j$fty  sled  i  Jap,  my 
doll  fell  from 
the  sled.  You 
are  a  bad,  bad 
dog.  O  my  poor 
dollie!  She  has 
hurt  her  head. 
You  have  bro- 
ken my  sled.  You  have  hurt 
my  dollie.  Who  will  mend  my 
sled  ?  Who  will  cure  my  dollie  ? 
I  must  get  Ned.  Ned  will  get 
Jap.     Ned !  Ned !  go  and  get  Jap. 


READING    LESSONS.  73 

He  ran  with  my  sled.    Jap !  Jap ! 
come  back!  come  back! 

Ned,  see  my  sled !  Jap  ran  with 
my  sled.  Can  yon  mend  it  for 
me  ?  No,  I  cannot  mend  it  for 
yon.  Patrick  will  mend  it.  I 
will  send  it  to  him.  I  will  send 
it  by  John.  John  will  carry  it. 
Patrick  will  mend  it  for  ten  cents. 
Then  I  shall  have  no  sled.  I  will 
lend  yon  my  sled.  Thank  you, 
Ned,  thank  you.  Will  Patrick 
send  me  my  sled?  Yes,  when  it 
is  mended.  He  will  mend  it  soon. 
I  will  not  let  Jap  draw  it  again. 
Jap  can  catch  rats,  but  he  cannot 
draw  a  sled.  I  will  buy  a  big 
black  dog  to  draw  my  sled. 


74 


HEADING    LESSONS. 


See  this  little  bird. 

His  name  is  Dick. 

He  is  in  the  cage. 

Dick  has  yellow  feathers. 

He  lias  little  twinkling  eyes. 

Dick  can  sing  a  merry  song. 

He  loves  to  sing. 

Dick  is  not  afraid  of  Fannie. 


READING    LESSONS.  75 

He  picks  seeds  from  her  hand. 
Let  him  out  and  he  will  hop  on 
her  head. 

Minnie  is  sick. 

She  wet  her  feet  and  took  cold. 

Now  she  must  lie  in  bed. 

Fannie  heard  that  Minnie  was 
sick. 

She  said  to  her  mother,  "Mam- 
ma, can  I  not  take  Dick  to  see 
Minnie  ?  " 

Her  mother  said,  "  Yes,  my  dear." 

So  here  is  Fannie  with.  Dick. 

"Look  at  my  pretty  bird,"  said 
Fannie. 

"Oh,  how  cunning!"  said  Min- 
nie. 

"Papa,  please  buy  me  a  bird 
like  this." 


76 


READING    LESSONS. 


A  little  bird  sits  on  a  tree. 

He  is  singing,  "  Cheer  up,  cheer 
up!" 

He  is  singing  to  his  mate  on 
the  nest. 

I  think  he  is  a  robin. 

Can  the  little  girl  see  the  robin  ? 

No,  for  she  is  fast  asleep  under 
the  tree. 


READING    LESSONS.  77 

The  dog  looks  up  at  the  robin. 

The  dog  will  take  good  care  of 
the  little  girl. 

No  one  shall  harm  her  while 
he  is  near. 

Have  you  a  pin,  Nell  ? 
I  must  pin  my  doll's  dress. 
Yes,  here  is  a  pin. 
Thank  you,  Nell. 
My  doll's  dress  is  very  thin. 
It  is  a  thin  white  dress. 
I  can  trim  it  with  red  ribbon. 
I  can  pin  a  red  ribbon  on  the 
dress. 
Then  it  "will  look  very  pretty. 
We  will  play  with  our  dolls. 
I  will  carry  my  doll  to  walk. 
We  will  -walk  to  the  tent. 
We  will  sit  in  the  tent. 


78 


READING    LESSONS. 


Oh,  what  a  big  fish ! 

I  would  like  to  catch  a  big  fish. 

It  is  a  long  fish. 

This  big  fish  has  fins. 

I  can  see  two  little  fins,  and  two 
large  fins. 

Some  fishes  have  fins  on  their 
backs. 

"What  are  fins  for? 

They  are  to  swim  with. 

Birds  do  not  have  fins. 

They  have  wings. 

Ducks  have  a  thick  skin  be- 
tween their  toes. 


READING    LESSONS.  79 

They  swim  with  their  feet. 

Fishes  swim  with  fins. 

Birds  fly  with  wings. 

Ducks  swim  with  web-feet. 

Hens  cannot  swim. 

Yon  do  not  have  fins  nor  wings. 

Tour  feet  are  not  like  a  duck's. 

Can  you  swim  ? 

No,  I  cannot  swim  now. 

I  will  learn  "when  I  am  a  big 
boy. 

How  shall  you  swim? 

I  shall  swim  with  my  arms  and 
legs. 

They  are  better  than  fins  or 
"wings. 

Dogs  and  frogs  swim  with  their 
legs. 

Cats  do  not  like  to  swim. 


80 


READING    LESSONS. 


Oh,  see  my  white 
kitty. 

She  is  my  little 
pet  kitty. 

She   will  run  to 
me  if  I  call  her. 
I  like  to  see  her  lap  milk. 
She  can  catch  mice. 
She  is  fond  of  play. 
Her  name  is  Pinky. 
She  likes  to  sit  in  my  lap. 
Her  claws  are  sharp. 
She  can  scratch  you  with  them. 
She  lies  on  the  mat. 
Sometimes  she  sleeps  on  the  bed. 
See  her  play  with  the  ball ! 
I  think  she  is  very  pretty. 
Kitty   likes    me   because  I  am 
so  kind  to  her. 


READING    LESSONS.  81 

One  day  I  went  to  see  my 
auntie. 

There  I  saw  a  little  baby  sitting 
up  in  its  crib. 

Such  a  little  baby,  with  tiny 
fat  hands,  and  pretty  blue  eyes! 

I  patted  its  cheeks,  and  it  clapped 
its  hands. 

I  saw  a  rattle  in  the  crib. 

I  shook  the  rattle,  and  baby 
laughed. 

Baby  had  ten  fat  little  fingers. 

What  do  you  think  this  baby 
liked  to  do  ? 

It  liked  to  play  with  its  fingers. 

Baby  was  only  six  months  old. 

I  had  some  candy  in  my  bag. 

I  gave  the  baby  a  stick  of  candy. 

It  took  the  candy  in  its  fat 
hands  and  laughed  again. 


82 


READING    LESSONS. 


Now  "what  can  we  see  ?  We  can 
see  Rob  with  an  apple.  Rob  has 
the  apple  in  his  hand.  See  how 
happy  he  looks.  Anne  has  her 
doll.  She  stands  by  Jane.  Jane 
has  a  basket  in  her  lap.  What 
has  she  in  the  basket?  Do  yon 
see  Tab  by  Jane?    Who  is  Tab? 


READING    LESSONS.  83 

Charlie  sits  on  the  grass.  Rover 
sits  by  Charlie.  Charlie  pats 
Rover's  back.  Walter  stands  by 
Charlie.  What  has  Walter  in 
his  hand?  How  many  girls  are 
there?  How  many  boys  are 
there?  These  are  happy  girls 
and  boys. 

There  is  one  little  boy  on  a  stump. 

What  is  his  name? 

His  name  is  Rob. 

Rob  has  an  apple  in  his  hand. 

He  holds  the    apple   in  his   left 

hand. 
The  children  look  at  Rob. 
Rob    says,    "Do    you   want    my 

apple  ?  " 
'Yes/'  says  little  Anne,   "I  "want 

your  apple." 


84 


READING    LESSONS. 


Did  you  ever  see  a 
balloon  ? 

This  balloon  is  black 
and  white. 

You  can  see  two  flags 
in  the  balloon. 
How  many  men  do  you  see? 
The  men  can  stand  in  the  bal- 
loon. 

The   men   are   standing  in  the 
balloon. 
They  have  bags  in  their  hands. 
There  is  sand  in  the  bags. 
Why  do  the  men  carry  bags  of 
sand? 

"Where  do  they  go  in  the  bal- 
loon ? 


READING   LESSONS.  85 

Why  do  they  carry  flags? 

"Why  do  they  go  in  the  balloon  ? 

I  have  a  little  toy  balloon. 

My  balloon  is  red. 

It  is  filled  "with  air. 

I  hold  it  with  a  long  string. 

The  little  red  balloon  will  fly 
away  np  in  the  air. 

It  "will  fly  above  the  trees. 

It  is  a  nice  plaything. 

If  I  had  a  very  long  string,  it 
would  fly  up  to  the  clouds. 

I  have  a  big  kite. 

I  hold  the  kite  with  a  long 
string. 

Come  and  play  with  me. 

"You  may  take  my  kite. 

I  will  take  the  balloon. 

We  will  fly  the  kite  and  the 
balloon. 


86 


READING   LESSONS. 


This  little  girl  lias  a  cat.  It  is 
a  gray  cat.  The  cat  has  a  hat  on. 
It  is  a  white  hat.  The  girls  name 
is  Mary.  The  cat's  name  is  Polly. 
Polly  is  a  nice  cat.  She  sleeps  in 
a  basket.  Polly  likes  to  catch  rats.. 
She  likes  milk,  too.  She  likes  to 
lie  on  Mary's  lap.  Mary  is  a  kind 
little  girl.     She  is  kind  to  Polly, 


READING    LESSONS.  87 

and  calls  her  her  doll.  Mary  can 
sing.  She  "will  sing  to  Polly. 
Polly  can  sing,  too.  She  sings 
"Purr,  purr,  purr." 

I  am  a  very  little  girl. 

My  name  is  Mary. 

I  am  four  years  old. 

I  shall  be  five  in  May. 

Then  I  will  go  to  school. 

I  want  to  learn  how  to  read  and 
write. 

Do  you  know  how  to  read  and 
write  ? 

I  play  with  Polly. 

Polly  is  my  cat's  name. 

I  put  a  hat  on  Polly's  head. 

I  say,  "Sit  up,  Polly!" 

I  put  some  milk  in  a  cup. 

Then  I  feed  Polly  with  a  spoon. 


88 


READING    LESSONS. 


See  my  clog  on  the  mat.  He  saw 
my  little  white  rabbit  in  the  grass. 
He  tried  to  catch  my  rabbit.  Bun 
ran  very  fast.  Bun  ran  into  the 
tall  grass.  Brave  ran  after  Bnn. 
He  did  not  catch  her.  Once  Brave 
ran  at  a  little  lamb.  He  bit  the 
little  lamb.  The  lamb  ran  to  its 
mamma.  Its  mamma  said,  'Baa, 
baa,  baa."  I  said,  " Brave !  Brave!" 


READING    LESSONS.  89 

Then  Brave  ran  to  me.  Brave 
lapped  my  hand.  He  wanted  me 
to  pat  him.  I  do  not  pat  bad 
dogs.  Brave  is  very  kind  to  me. 
He  likes  to  carry  things  for  me. 
He  will  carry  baskets  and  bags. 
He  will  draw  my  wagon  for  me. 

0  yon  bad,  bad  dog! 
"Where  did  you  get  my  doll? 

1  left  it  on  the  mat. 
See  how  he  bit  it. 

He  bit  the  pretty  red  dress. 
Rover,  yon  are  a  bad  dog. 
You  shall  not  lie  on  the  mat. 
Take  the  doll  from  the  dog. 
Go  away,  bad  dog ! 


90 


READING    LESSONS. 


Oh,  see  the  baby 
rabbits !  There  are 
three  little  rabbits.  They  are 
Ben's  rabbits.  Ben  stands  by  the 
door.  He  has  an  apple  in  his 
hand.  The  apple  is  red.  One 
rabbit  is  white.  The  "white  rabbit 
smells  the  apple.  Will  Ben  let  the 
rabbit  have  the  apple?    *Yes,  Ben 


READING    LESSONS.  91 

feeds  the  rabbit  with  apples.  He 
has  fed  the  baby  rabbits.  He  has 
fed  the  hens,  too.  Where  is  Ben? 
He  is  in  the  shed.  The  rabbits 
and  hens  are  in  the  shed.  Ben 
fed  them  in  the  shed.  Have  the 
rabbits  a  bed  in  the  shed?  JSTo, 
their  bed  is  under  the  shed.  Have 
the  hens  a  nest  in  the  shed  ?  No, 
their  nests  are  in  the  hen-pen. 
These  are  Ben's  pets. 

Look  at  the  picture.  How  many- 
hens  do  you  see  ?  I  see  five  hens. 
Hens  lay  eggs.  The  eggs  are  white 
as  milk.  One  hen  lays  one  egg  in 
one  day.  Ten  hens  lay  ten  eggs 
in  one  day.  One  hen  lays  ten 
eggs  in  ten  days.  The  eggs  are 
in   a  nest.      Ben    hunts    for    the 


92  READING    LESSONS. 

eggs.  It  is  fun  to  hunt  for  eggs. 
He  likes  the  fun.  One  day  Ben 
found  ten  eggs.  Ben  found  the 
eggs  in  the  nests.  He  put  ten  eggs 
in  his  cap.  Ten  white  eggs  were 
in  Ben's  cap.  Ten  black  hens  saw 
Ben  run  away.  He  ran  away 
with  the  eggs.  He  had  no  cap  on 
his  head.  Where  was  his  cap? 
In  his  hands.  What  were  in  the 
cap?  Eggs;  ten  eggs  as  white  as 
milk. 

Mary  is  a  little  girl. 

She  has  a  red  basket. 

She  will  carry  the  basket. 

She  will  carry  it  to  Ann. 

What  has  she  in  the  basket? 

Will  she  let  me  see? 

O  yes,  she  will  let  you  see. 


READING    LESSONS.  93 

She  lias  eggs  in  the  basket. 
She  has  ten  white  eggs. 
Where  did  she  get  the  eggs? 
She  got  them  in  the  pen. 
There  are  ten  hens  in  the  pen. 
Ten  hens  laid  ten  eggs. 

John,  please  tell  me  what  you 
can  do. 

I  can  run  and  hop. 

I  can  jump  over  a  fence. 

I  can  play  ball. 

I  can  fly  a  kite. 

Can  you  read  and  write? 

Yes,  I  can  read  and  write. 

I  can  write  my  name. 

"Will  you  write  a  story  for  me  ? 

Yes,  I  will  try  to  "write  a  story 
for  you. 

Please  give  me  a  nice  picture. 


94 


READING    LESSONS. 


Jennie  lias  a  lamb.  It  is  all  the 
pet  she  has.  Aunt  Jennie  sent 
the  lamb  to  her.  Jennie  was  very- 
glad  to  get  the  lamb.  She  takes 
care  of  it  herself.  She  keeps  the 
lamb  in  this  pen.  She  gets  grass 
in  the  basket  for  it.  See,  she  has 
grass  in  her  hand  now.  See  the 
lamb  smell  of  the  grass.     It  will 


READING    LESSONS.  95 


eat  the  grass  from  her  hand. 
Jennie  put  a  little  bell  on  its 
neck.  The  bell  is  on  a  red  strap. 
Jennie  calls  her  lamb  Floss.  Floss 
can  run  very  fast.  Floss  likes  to 
scamper  about  in  the  pen.  Jennie 
"will  not  let  Floss  go  out  of  the 
pen.  She  thinks  Floss  will  get 
hurt.  Floss  likes  the  pen.  It 
is  a  large  pen.  The  lamb  loves 
Jennie. 

Eddie  and  Jane  went  to  see 
their  grandmother.  They  rode 
in  a  large  "wagon.  They  took  a 
bag  and  a  basket  "with  them. 
What  do  you  think  they  had  in 
the  basket?  They  had  cherries 
in  the  basket.  The  cherries  "were 
for  grandma.    Grandma  was  very 


96  READING    LESSONS. 

glad  to  see  them.  She  let  them 
feed  the  hens.  She  let  them  feed 
the  lambs,  too.  She  had  twelve 
lambs.  One  little  lamb  had  a 
lame  leg.  Eddie  called  this  one 
his  pet.  He  got  a  mat  for  it  to 
lie  on.  He  carried  milk  to  it.  He 
patted  the  lamb.  He  let  the  lamb 
lap  his  hand.  The  lamb  liked  to 
have  Eddie  pet  it.  When  Eddie 
went  home,  grandma  gave  him 
the  lame  lamb.  Eddie  was  very 
happy  to  have  it  for  his  own. 

I  found  a  little  lamb. 

I  found  it  under  our  shed. 

The  lamb  had  a  lame  leg. 

How  did  it  get  under  the  shed? 

It  crept  under  the  shed. 

I  carried  it  into  the  shed. 


READING    LESSONS. 


97 


Little  Nannie  has  been  playing 
■with,  her  doll.  She  said,  "Now 
dollie,  yon  are  very  sleepy.  Yon 
mnst  take  a  nap.  I  will  lie  on 
the  bed  with  yon."  Bnt  Nannie 
fell  asleep  before  her  dollie  did. 
The  dollie  fell  on  its  head.  It 
did  not  cry.    Wake  up,  Nannie, 


98  READING    LESSONS. 


and  look  at  your  poor  dollie. 
Nannie  slept  a  long  time.  She 
thought  dollie  was  tired.  But 
Nannie  "was  more  tired  than 
dollie. 

The  mouse  said  to  the  cat, 
"Don't  kill  me,  I  am  a  little  bit 
of  a  thing.  I  do  no  harm.  I 
make  no  noise."  Who  bit  the 
hole  in  the  pantry  door  ?  Who 
nibbled  the  bread?  Who  ate  the 
pie?  I  must  kill  you,  little 
mouse.  I  will  carry  you  to  my 
kittens.  "'Bow,  wow!"  said  the 
dog.  The  cat  ran  away,  and  left 
the  mouse.  "I  "wish  I  were  a 
dog,"  said  the  poor  little  mouse. 
Then  the  mouse  crept  away,  and 
nibbled  some  more  bread. 


READING    LESSONS. 


99 


Little  May  has  been  to  walk. 
Did  she  go  to  walk  alone  ? 
Oh,  no,  her  sister  went  with  her. 
She  had  a  little  basket  on  her 
arm. 


100  READING    LESSONS. 


What  did  she  put  in  it? 

She  put  some  flowers  in  it  for 
her  mamma. 

She  picked  them  herself. 

May  likes  to  walk  with  her  sis- 
ter. 

Does  she  like  the  sheep  and 
lambs  ? 

Yes,  she  likes  to  see  them  play. 

They  know  her  and  they  love 
her. 

May  is  a  dear  little  girl. 

See  the  lambs  on  the  bank. 

Two  lambs  are  on  the  bank. 

One  lamb  is  running  to  them. 

May  does  not  see  the  lambs. 

She  is  looking  this  way. 

What  does  she  see? 

I  do  not  know. 

Perhaps  she  is  looking  at  us. 


READING    LESSONS. 


101 


Kate,  see  those  lilies.  Yes,  I  see 
them.  How  pretty  they  are!  I 
wish  I  had  some.  I  "will  get  you 
some,  Kate.  Oh,  no,  James.  I  am 
afraid  you  will  fall  into  the 
water.  I  am  not  afraid.  See ! 
here  are  five  lilies.  Oh,  thank 
you.  What  a  brave  boy  you  are ! 
We  must  take  some  pretty  lilies 
to  mother  and  Jane.  I  shall  tell 
mother  how  brave  you  are. 


102 


READING    LESSONS. 


Here  is  a  baby.  A  baby  in  a 
basket.  The  baby  has  a  doll.  Can 
baby  talk  ?  Nb,  baby  cannot  talk. 
Baby  can  crow.  The  little  chick 
can  crow.  Baby  can  see  the  little 
chick.  Baby  can  see  the  old  hen. 
The  hen  will  watch  baby  and  the 
chicks.  Old  hen,  do  yon  see  my 
doll?  I  will  give  yon  my  doll 
for  one  little  chick. 


READING    LESSONS. 


103 


fly 


I  am  little  Fan.  *I  have  a  big 
rake.  I  love  the  flowers.  I  give 
the  flowers  nice  "water.  The  big 
girl  is  Rose.  Rose  can  pick  the 
flowers.  She  has  some  flowers  in 
the  basket.  See  the  little  bird. 
See  it  fly.  It  is  a  pretty  little 
bird.     It  will  fly  to  me.    It  will 


104  READING    LESSONS. 

sing  to  me.  Come  to  me,  little 
bird.  I  love  you.  Please,  Rose, 
pick  me  a  pretty  bunch  of  flowers 
for  mamma.  I  would  like  a  rose 
and  a  pink. 

Now  children,  tell  me  all  the 
things  that  you  see  in  this  pic- 
ture. I  see  two  little  girls.  Here 
is  a  basket  full  of  flowers.  There 
is  a  bird.  Near  the  fence  is  a 
large  tree.  On  the  ground  are 
three  flower-pots.  The  large  girl 
is  picking  flowers.  The  little  girl 
is  standing  up.  The  bird  is  fly- 
ing. I  see  more  than  you  do.  I 
see  bushes,  leaves,  twigs,  branches, 
and  grass.  There  is  one  thing 
more.  "What  is  it?  The  bird  is 
flying  over  it.     Guess. 


READING   LESSONS. 


105 


Oh,  what  a  big  dog !  It  is  a  black 
and  white  dog.  Do  you  think  he 
is  a  good  dog?  I  think  he  is  a 
nice  dog.  See  how  still  he  stands. 
He  likes  to  play  with  the  little 
girls.  The  little  girls  like  to  play 
with  him,  too.  Do  you  know  the 
girls?    The  name  of  the  tall  girl 


106  READING   LESSONS. 

is  Lucy.  The  girl  with,  her  hand 
on  the  dog  is  Ann.  Lucy  put 
the  baby  on  the  dog's  back.  Will 
the  dog  hurt  the  baby?  No,  he 
is  a  kind  dog.  He  will  give  her 
a  nice  ride.  The  baby  has  some 
flowers.  They  are  pretty  flowers. 
I  think  she  got  them  in  the 
fields.  She  will  take  them  to  her 
mamma. 

My  dog's  name  is  Nep.  Some- 
times we  call  him  Neptune. 
That  is  a  long  word.  Nep  is  a 
very  good  dog.  He  can  swim 
like  a  duck.  One  day  Harry  fell 
into  the  pond.  Nep  dashed  after 
him.  The  brave  dog  brought 
Harry  to  land.  We  all  love 
JNTep. 


READING    LESSONS. 


107 


Emma  has  been  to  get  some 
sticks.  She  "went  to  get  them  for 
her  mamma.  She  found  them 
on  the  sand.  How  can  she  carry 
them  on  her  back  ?  She  has  tied 
them    together    with     a     string. 


108  READING   LESSONS. 

She  holds  one  end  of  the  string 
in  her  hand.  And  see !  she  has 
sticks  in  her  dress.  She  has  one 
stick  in  her  hand.  She  will 
carry  them  to  her  mamma. 
Emma  has  a  little  sister.  Some- 
times she  helps  Emma  pick  up 
sticks.  Emma  is  very  kind  to  her 
sister.  She  is  very  kind  to  her 
mamma.  She  can  get  dinner  for 
her  mamma.  I  wish  that  she  had 
a  little  wagon.  Then  she  could 
draw  the  sticks  home.  Some- 
times Dick  lends  her  his  wagon. 
Dick  lives  near  her  home.  He 
helps  her  to  fill  the  wagon  with 
sticks.  Then  he  helps  her  to 
draw  them  home.  Dick  is  kind 
to  everybody.  Everybody  is  kind 
to  Dick. 


HEADING-    LESSONS. 


109 


Here  is  Mary  milking  the  cow. 

This  is  the  old  red  cow. 

Her  name  is  Brindle. 

Mary  will  fill  her  pail  with 
milk. 

Sometimes  Brindle  gives  the 
pail  a  kick. 

Then  she  tips  the  pail  over  and 
spills  the  milk. 


110  READING   LESSONS. 

Thomas  has  milked  the  cow  in 

the  shed- 
He  has  ten  pigs  in  a  pen.     He 

has  fed  his  pigs. 
He  gives  the  pigs  milk  to  drink. 
Mary  skims  the  milk  first. 
Why  does  Mary  skim  the  milk  ? 

It  is  a  wet  day.  Robbie  must 
play  in  the  shed.  He  has  a  tin 
pan.  He  calls  it  his  drum.  He 
will  rap  on  the  tin  pan.  He  has 
the  tin  pan  in  his  lap.  He  has 
two  sticks.  He  calls  them  his 
drum-sticks.  He  drums  on  the 
pan,  and  then  he  whistles  a  tune. 
Robbie  has  a  little  hatchet.  He 
chops  wood  with  his  hatchet. 
Then  he  takes  the  wood  into  the 
kitchen  for  mamma. 


READING    LESSONS. 


Ill 


This  little  girl  lives  near  the 
"water.  She  likes  to  dig  in  the 
sand.  She  has  found  a  pretty 
shell.  She  finds  a  great  many 
pretty  shells.  This  little  girl  can 
draw  pretty  pictures.  She  draws 
pictures     on     the     pretty    white 


112  READING    LESSONS. 

shells.  Sometimes  she  draws  pic- 
tures on  the  sand  with  a  stick. 
The  pictures  do  not  stay  on  the 
sand.  Can  you  tell  why?  She 
has  a  big  black  dog.  She  throws 
sticks  into  the  "water.  The  dog 
will  swim  for  them.  He  will 
bring  them  to  her. 

I  think  of  a  "word  that  sounds 
like  sat.  What  is  it,  children? 
Is  it  an  animal  that  catches  rats  ? 
No,  it  is  not  cat.  Is  it  what  the 
cat  catches?  No,  it  is  not  rat. 
Is  it  what  I  do  to  the  cat?  No, 
it  is  not  pat.  Is  it  "what  I  wear 
on  my  head?  It  is  not  Tiat.  Is 
it  level?  It  is  not  fiat.  Is  it 
what  the  cat  sits  on?  Yes,  it  is 
mat. 


READING    LESSONS. 


.  113 


Come,  Percy,  let  us  go  down  the 
hill  to  the  pond. 

What  a  fine  day  it  is ! 

There  is  a  tent  near  the  pond. 

In  the  tent  there  is  a  table. 

There  are  apples,  cookies  bread, 
and  cakes  on  the  table. 

Take  a  flag  and  put  it  on  the 
tent. 

We  will  have  dinner. 

Then  we  will  play  by  the  water. 


114  READING    LESSONS. 


Two  little  birds  found  an  old  hat 
in  a  garden. 

They  got  bits  of  hay  and  made 
a  nest  in  the  hat. 

The  mother-bird  laid  four  blue 
eggs. 

By  and  by  some  little  birds  were 
hatched. 

How  happy  the  big  birds  were 
then  I 

The  tiny  birds  grew  very  fast. 

Soon  they  could  fly. 

Then  they  made  nests,  but  not 
in  the  old  hat. 

They  built  their  nests  in  a  tree. 

Then  they  laid  eggs  and  more 
birdies  came. 

And  that  is  the  way  the  world 
gets  so  full  of  birdies. 


READING    LESSONS. 


115 


What  is  the  matter, 
Harry  ? 

Oh   dear!  the  bees 
sting  me. 

What  did  you  do  to 
the  bees? 

I  put  a  long  stick  into  the  hive. 

That  made  the  bees  very  angry. 

Go  away,  you  bad  bees. 

Go  away,  you  bad  boy,  I  say. 

Why  did  you  meddle  with  the 
bees? 

Your  mother  told  you  not    to 
meddle  with  them. 

You  did  not  mind  your  mother. 

Now  the  bees  sting  you. 

Oh!    what   shall    I  do?     What 
shall  I  do  ? 

Run  away  as  fast  as  you  can. 


116 


READING   LESSONS. 


^Z 


Oh, -see  the  dishes!  They  are 
pretty  dishes.  We  will  have  tea. 
John  will  fill  your  dish.  What 
is  in  the  big  dish  ?  There  is  milk 
in  the  big  dish.  Do  you  like 
milk?     Yes,   I    like    milk.     Will 


READING-   LESSONS.  117 

you  fill  my  dish,  John  ?  Give  the 
doll  some  milk.  Can  the  doll 
drink?  We  "will  play  that  she 
can  drink.  She  has  a  little  dish. 
Drink,  doll,  drink.  The  milk  in 
the  dish  is  for  Kit.  Come  Kit, 
and  drink  some  nice  milk. 

Come,  little  folks,  come  to  din- 
ner. Come  in,  come  in!  Wash 
your  faces.  Comb  your  hair.  Set 
the  table.  Bring  up  the  chairs. 
Put  dollie  in  the  baby-chair. 
John,  you  be  father.  Blanche 
■will  be  mother.  Annie,  Kate, 
and  I  will  be  company.  Cut  the 
bread.  Put  butter  in  the  little 
dishes.  Dollie,  don't  spill  the 
milk.  Pill  my  cup  with  tea. 
Thank  you. 


118 


READING    LESSONS. 


O,  you  bad,  bad  cat ! 
Ton  have  caught  the  dear  little 
bird. 
Two  birds  were  on  the  fence. 
Puss  hid  behind  the  tall  grass. 
The  little  birds  did  not  see  her. 
She  jumped  upon  the  birds. 


READING   LESSONS.  119 

See  her  hang  on  the  fence. 
She  has  a  bird  in  her  paws. 
Poor  little  bird !  yon  cannot  get 
away.    See  its  wings. 
Pnss  will  kill  and  eat  yon. 
O,  yon  nanghty  kitty ! 
"Why  do  yon  kill  the  birds  ? 


'Why  do  I  kill  birds?  I  will 
tell  yon  why,"  says  Miss  Pnss.  "  I 
have  three  little  kittens  at  home. 
They  are  hnngry.  My  babies 
want  food.  My  mistress  does  not 
give  them  milk.  I  kill  birds 
for  my  children.  Yon  call  me 
nanghty.  Do  yon  eat  chickens? 
Are  yon  nanghty?"  'O  kitty! 
come  to  me  and  I  "will  give  yon 
all  the  food  yon  want." 


120  READING    LESSONS. 


FROGS    AND     FISHES. 

My  name  is  Frank. 

I  live  in  the  country. 

Near  my  house  is  a  pond. 

Frogs  and  fishes  live  in  the 
pond. 

Fishes  swim  "with  their  fins. 

Frogs  swim  with  their  legs. 

There  are  little  frogs,  big  frogs, 
and  speckled  frogs. 

We  call  the  big  frogs,  bull-frogs. 

There  are  logs  and  rocks  in  the 
pond. 

The  frogs  jump  on  the  logs  and 
rocks. 

Sometimes  ten  frogs  sit  on  a 
long  log. 

A  big  bull-frog  sits  on  a  rock. 


READING   LESSONS.  121 

Maybe  that  is  a  school. 

The  big  bull-frog  is  the  master. 

The  bull-frog  teaches  the  little 
frogs  to  sing,  I  think. 

Anyway,  the  frogs  all  sing  at 
night. 

The  little  frogs  sing,  "Peep, 
peep." 

The  big  frogs  sing  loud  and 
strong. 

I  catch  the  fish  with  a  hook. 

I  can  catch  the  frogs  with  a  net. 

I  will  tell  you  something  more 
about  frogs. 

I  watch  them  in  my  pond. 

Very  young  frogs  do  not  look 
like  big  frogs. 

They  do  not  have  legs. 

Young  frogs  have  big,  round 
heads,  and  long  tails. 


122  READING    LESSONS. 

They  have  gills  like  a  fish. 

John  calls  them  pollywogs. 

That  is  a  wrong  name. 

These  young  frogs  are  tadpoles. 

After  a  long  time,  legs  come  out 
of  the  big,  round  head. 

Then  the  long  tails  drop  off. 

]STow  they  are  real  frogs. 

They  can  swim  just  as  "well  as 
when  they  were  tadpoles. 

But  they  can  jump  upon  logs 
and  rocks,  and  all  around  the 
edges  of  the  pond. 

Is  not  that  a  funny  thing? 

Catch  a  tadpole  with  a  net. 

Put  it  in  a  dish  or  tub. 

Fill  the  dish  or  tub  with  water. 

Then  watch  it  as  I  did. 

And  let  me  know  "what  you 
learn  about  it. 


READING   LESSONS.  123 


FOXES. 

My  house  stands  at  the  foot  of 
a  great  hill. 

Foxes  live  on  the  great  hill. 

They  dig  holes  in  the  ground 
among  the  rocks. 

These  holes  are  their  houses. 

They  are  called  dens. 

Foxes  have  long  bushy  tails, 
and  sharp  noses. 

They  are  red,  or  nearly  red. 

A  fox  is  as  big  as  my  dog. 

Foxes  run  very  fast. 

My  brother  John  hunts  foxes. 

He  takes  his  gun,  then  he  calls 
his  dogs. 

The  dogs  jump  up  and  run  to 
him. 


124  READING    LESSONS. 

Dogs  love  to  hunt  just  as  well 
as  John. 

Off  they  go  to  the  hill  to  find  a 
fox. 

A  dog  finds  the  track  of  a  fox. 

Then  all  the  dogs  run  after  the 
fox. 

When  John  sees  the  fox,  he 
kills  it  with  his  gun. 

If  I  were  a  fox,  I  would  run 
into  my  den. 

Foxes  like  to  hunt  just  as  well 
as  John. 

They  hunt  hens,  geese,  and 
ducks. 

One  day  a  flock  of  ducks  were 
swimming  in  my  pond. 

They  swim  with  their  web-feet. 

A  sly  old  fox  ran  down  the  hill 
to  the  pond. 


READING-   LESSONS.  125 

She  wanted  to  get  some  supper 
for  her  little  ones. 

The  fox  saw  the  flock  of  ducks 
in  the  pond. 

She  hid  in  the  bushes  near  by. 

Soon  a  fat  duck  swam   to   the 
land. 

Quick  as  a  flash  the  duck  was 
in  the  fox's  mouth. 

Three   little   baby  foxes   sat  by 
the  door  of  their  house. 

What  "was  their  house  ? 

They  were  very  hungry. 

They  wanted  their  supper. 

'  When   will    mamma    come  ?  " 
said  one  little  fox. 

Soon  the  old  fox  trotted  home 
"with  a  fat  duck  in  her  mouth. 

"Here,  my  hungry  babies,  here 
is  a  fat  duck  for  supper." 


126  BEADING    LESSONS. 

Mew,  mew,  says  the  cat. 

Quack,  quack,  says  the  duck. 

Bow  wow,  says  the  dog. 

Moo,  says  the  cow. 

Baa,  baa,  says  the  lamb. 

Cluck,  cluck,  says  the  hen. 

Chee,  chee,  says  the  little  bird. 

Do  animals  talk? 

The  cat  is  black. 

The  duck  is  black,  too. 

The  duck  swam  in  the  pond. 

Catch  the  dog. 

Jump  on  his  back. 

Give  the  cow  some  hay. 

Pat  the  pretty  lamb. 

The  dog  can  stand  on  the  cow's 
back. 

The  black  duck  says  quack, 
quack. 


READING   LESSONS. 


127 


Isn't  this  a  funny  mother  ?  She 
carries  her  babies  on  her  back. 
See  them  standing  on  her  back. 
They  are  as  happy  as  can  be.  One 
little  fellow  is  trying  to  get  up. 
Do  you  see  how  his  mother  is 
helping  him?  She  puts  her  leg 
out  for  him  to  stand  on.  Then 
he  hangs  on  with  his  tail,  and 
climbs  up  with  the  rest  of  them. 
Seven  little  babies  on  their  moth- 


128  READING   LESSONS. 

er's  back.  They  are  going  to  get 
some  dinner.  Their  mother  will 
catch  a  rabbit  for  dinner.  Per- 
haps she  "will  catch  a  bird.  Then 
they  will  scamper  to  get  some. 
See  "what  sharp  claws  she  has! 
She  can  climb  and  dig  with  these 
claws.  She  has  a  strong  tail.  She 
can  climb  a  tree  with  her  sharp 
claws,  and  hang  to  the  limb  with 
her  tail.  She  stays  in  the  hollow 
of  a  tree,  by  day.  At  night,  she 
goes  out  for  food.  She  likes 
rabbits  very  well;  but  she  likes 
chickens  better.  Tell  me  some- 
thing more  about  this  animal. 
How  do  the  little  ones  stay  on 
her  back?  What  has  she  on  her 
nose?  Did  you  ever  see  an  ani- 
mal like  this  one? 


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